Winter pomegranate pear and walnut salad

This recipe was adapted from Clean Food cookbook

Pomegranate dressing:

Juice the seeds of one pomegranate to make 1/3 cup juice or buy 1/3 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 garlic clove, minced
1 shallot clove, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey mustard
Pinch of salt
Whisk all these ingredients together.

After your dressing is mixed put it in the fridge, covered.

To make the walnuts:

Heat the oven to 350 F
Mix together:
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon walnut oil
1 tablespoon sucanat (evaporated cane juice)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Add two cups walnuts to coat

Spread the nuts on a parchment lined cookie sheet

Bake for about 18 minutes or until lightly browned

While waiting for your nuts to bake, go ahead and get the rest of the salad ready.

Tear,wash, and dry one to two bunches of Romaine lettuce.

Slice two D'Anjou pears, thinly and then cut into bite size pieces.

Toss your lettuce, most of your pears, and dressing. Ny the time you get this done, your walnuts should be ready.  Add the walnuts and remaining pears on top. Serve while the walnuts are still warm!

Lentil casserole

Heat the oven to 375 F

In a 2 quart casserole dish add:
3/4 cup dried lentils
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
2 1/2 cups veggie broth
Mix them together (but enjoy my pretty picture below before mixing)

Bake, covered, for about 55 minutes.

After 55 minutes add:
One package frozen green beans
3 kale leaves, chopped (excluding the spines)
Stir it all together and put back in the oven for about 15 minutes.

You could eat it at this point or I highly recommend adding the following:
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
Bake uncovered for about 10 minutes, or unti cheese is melted

Final result:

This was easy and delicious!  We ate about half the casserole and each had enough for lunch leftovers tomorrow.

White bean, butternut squash, kale and grain medley

Preheat the oven to 350 F and boil 1.5 cups water on the stove.

Cut up your butternut squash into bite size pieces.  Toss in 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Put the squash in the oven once preheated.

Put 1.5 cups of whole grain medley (available at Target, near the rice) into the boiling water and turn the heat down to just below medium.


Cook your beans (you can either use canned beans or soak dry beans for 6-8 hours prior to cooking).  FYI, I prefer to soak my own beans if I remember in time for the meal.  Tip:  Soak them in the morning; by dinner time they will be ready to cook. 

Cut up a few stalks of kale (remove the spines).  Throw your kale on top of your cooking grains.

After about 30 minutes, your squash should be roasted, your grains should be cooked, and your beans should be soft enough to pierce with a fork.

Combine it all into a healthy meal!  Feel free to add spices-I just haven't gotten that brave yet.  :)

Quinoa with brussel sprouts and apples

Quinoa is the grain with the highest amount of protein and it is easy to make! 
This brand happens to be prewashed, which saves a step.

Cook the quinoa
Add 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water to a sauce pan.
Heat to boiling, then simmer for about 15 minutes, until the liquid is gone.

In the meantime,
Cut up your brussel sprouts (about one pound) into quarters
Cut 2 gala apples into bite size pieces.

Heat up a skillet to high, then add:
1/2 cup water and the apple chunks

In about 2 minutes, when half the water is gone, add:
Brussel sprouts
Another 1/2 cup water
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Cook with the lid on, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts can be easily pierced with a fork (about 15 minutes).

Add the leaves of two sprigs of thyme and 2 more Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.
Cook with the lid off until most of the liquid is gone, about 2 minutes.

Put a bed of quinoa on a plate, then add a couple of scoops of brussel sprouts and apple.

My husband loved this dish!

My two year old really liked the quinoa!

Lentil and Walnut Burgers

This recipe comes from Whole Foods website.

Cook 1.5 cups lentils in one pot (or use leftover lentils from last night's meal)
Cook 2 cups brown rice

While you are cooking your lentils and rice, chop up the following into small pieces:
1 small carrot
1/2 cup mushrooms
1/4 cup walnuts
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 Tablespoon parlsey
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

In a skillet, heat up 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, then cook the chopped ingredients pictured above for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

While cooking the above, go ahead and work on the next step at the same time.

In a food processor, add 1.5 cups cooked lentils, 1 cup of your rice, and 1 partially beaten egg.

Process lentils, rice, and egg until smooth.

Mix your lentil mixture with your cooked ingredients, including your additional cup of rice.  Mix well, then form into patties. 

Add a little oil to your skillet and cook your patties just like you would hamburgers.  Turn once golden brown (takes about 10 minutes total). 

Serve alone, or add cheese and a bun.

 

Sweet potato fries would make a great side dish for these veggie burgers!



Lentil and Pineapple Salad

This recipe turned out to be delicious!  This was my first time to make or eat lentils! 

Cook lentils according to package directions-very easy-takes about 20 minutes. 

I used a prepackaged spinach/arugula mix.


Cut up a fresh pineapple (on sale this week at Reasors).

Shave a carrot into the greens.  So easy my two year old did it (with close supervision).

I made my own salad dressing:
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
1/2 garlic clove minced
squeeze of pineapple juice


Put together:
Your greens with carrots
Salad dressing
Fresh pineapple
Cooked lentils

The salad dressing tames the tart pineapple and the lentils add a meaty feel to the salad. 

Juicing recipe 3

This was a single serving juice:
one apple
one orange
2 large carrots
Handful of spinach
2 Bok Choy leaves

Turns into:

Roasted butternut squash, broccoli, and chickpea tortillas

Chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans, can be prepared in one of two ways:
A.  Soak beans overnight in cold water.  The next day, boil beans until they are soft enough to be mashed with a fork.
B.  Buy them in a can.  Rinse, then boil until they are soft enough to be mashed with a fork.

Butternut squash
Cut in half, length wise. 
Scoop out the seeds.

Cut into 1 inch pieces, excluding the peel. 
Toss in one tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Spread onto a cookie sheet with sides.
Bake at 400 for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Brocolli:
Easy way:  buy the steamable version and microwave according to directions.

Tortilla:
See previous recipe:  http://www.danielinspired.blogspot.com/


Bring it all together:
Mash chickpeas onto a tortilla.
Sprinkle with roasted butternut squash.
Sprinkle with brocolli.

Enjoy!

How to make whole wheat tortillas

These are so simple yet so delicious!  This recipe makes about 16 tortillas so feel free to cut in half if needed.  We use these for many things-recipes to come later.

In a large bowl, add:
4 cups wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup water
6 tablespoons olive oil


Mix with a spoon. 

Pour dough (which will be very soft) onto a floured surface.

Knead until you have a dough that isn't too sticky.  You'll add flour as you are kneading to achieve the proper consistency.  If it sticks to your hands in large amounts it is too sticky..  I probably end up adding another 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup flour. 

Divide the dough in halves by using a knife.

Take each half and continue dividing into halves until you have about 16 balls of dough. 

You'll need a floured rolling pin and a floured surface to roll each ball into a flat tortilla.  Roll as thin as you prefer.

Add a drop of olive oil to a skillet and turn the heat to med/high.  Cook the tortillas (one or two at a time depending on space) for about one minute on each side. 

Enjoy!

Compare to the whole grain tortilla ingredient list from the store:

Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Flour, Water, Multi Grain Flour (Cracked Wheat, Wheat Bran, Rye Flakes, Wheat Flour, Barley Flakes, Triticale Flour, Corn Flour, Oat Flakes, Sunflower Oil, Barley Flour and Rice Flour), Vegetable Shortening (Interesterified Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil and/or Palm Oil), Brown Sugar, contains 2% or less of: Vital Wheat Gluten, Salt, Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Aluminum Sulfate, Corn Starch, Monocalcium Phosphate, and/or Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Calcium Sulfate), Preservatives (Calcium Propionate, Sorbic Acid and/or Citric Acid), Cellulose Gum, Dough Conditioners (Fumaric Acid, Sodium Metabisulfite and/or Mono- and Diglycerides, DATEM

Broccoli Pesto Pasta

Boil your whole wheat pasta.
Cook your broccoli (16 ounce package) according to package directions.

In a food processor add:
1 cup veggie broth
Cooked broccoli
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 garlic clove
1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt

Ingredients before processing.

Turn the food processor on for a couple of minutes, occasionally stopping to scrape the sides of the container.

The sauce is finished when it is smooth.

Mix your pasta with your fresh pasta sauce.

Enjoy.

Juicing recipe 2

We don't usually follow recipes when we juice; we just throw some veggies and fruit in the juicer.  We've yet to be disappointed. 

Four large carrots
Handful of cranberries
2 Gala apples
1 group of swiss chard
1 stalk of kale

I realize it looks like mud, but it tastes pretty good!  :)

Rice and Edamame

Feel free to add other veggies to this dish; we kept it very simple this time.  This meal provides whole grain, fiber, protein, and veggie with only two ingredients!

First get your brown rice started-follow the instructions on the package.

Next, cook your edamame, following the instructions on the package.

Next remove the edamame from the pods.

Add to your cooked rice, season to taste.

Looking for a whole wheat pasta that tastes good?

We really enjoy Hodgson Mill whole wheat Angel hair pasta.  Ingredient:  100% duram whole wheat and nothing else! 

Your family may not even notice the difference if you replace your white pasta with this stuff.  Try it and let me know. 

I buy mine from Reasor's but just learned you can buy it by the case on their website:  http://www.hodgsonmill.com/home/

Add a healthy tomato sauce (either homemade or store bought) and a side salad and you have an easy, healthy meal!

Potato Pancakes and salad with homemade dressing

My friend and neighbor Sarah shared some vegetarian cookbooks with me, which is where I found the following recipes ( I made a few small changes).

Potato Pancakes
Preheat your oven to 250.
Line a cookie sheet with paper towels.

Shred 2-3 potatoes.
Slice 2 green onions.
Beat 2 eggs.

Mix the potatoes, green onions, and eggs.

Add 1 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper.

Mix again.

In a skillet, add just enough olive oil to cover the pan and turn the heat on med/high.

Scoop out your potato mixture with a 1/2 cup measuring cup and place the mixture in the hot skillet.  Smash it down with a slotted spatula.

Repeat until your skillet can't hold anymore (two to three pancakes).

Cook each side about 7 minutes.

When a batch finishes, transfer the pancakes onto the cookie sheet and put this in the oven to keep warm.

While cooking your pancakes you can also work on your salad.
Wash your Romaine lettuce and fresh spinach. 
Tear your lettuce into bite size pieces.
Shred a carrot.

Balsamic vinegarette:
Pour about 1/2 cup olive oil into a small bowl
Add 4-5 tsp balsamic vinegar
Add 1 minced garlic clove (I only used 1/2)
Add a dash of salt
Mix this all together.

Toss your greens and carrots with the dressing.

Chicken with some greens

Add a tablespoon of olive oil and heat up your skillet on med/high heat

Add
Red bell bepper, chopped
Green onions, chopped
1/2 garlic clove, chopped

Cook veggies for a few minutes

Add chicken, organic, cut into bite size pieces

Cook chicken until golden brown one size, then flip

As the veggies become soft, move them to the outside of the skillet

Add shaved carrots the last 2-3 minutes of cooking (I learned adding them too early=black carrots)

Prepare your plate with leaves of Romaine lettuce and fresh spinach

Add your cooked chicken and veggies to the leafy greens.

Add your favorite salad dressing (preferably one without lots of sugar and additives).

We've been using raspberry balsamic vinegar lately.  It has a kick to it, but tte sweet raspberry juice helps to balance out the vinegar.

Enjoy!

Grinding Wheat

I've been grinding wheat for a few months now and am glad I made the investment of buying a NutriMill grinder.  I ordered my first bucket of organic wheat from Amazon.com and hope to buy the next bucket closer to home.  There are different kinds of wheat.  I buy the white hard wheat.  It has the same nutritional value as red wheat, but it has a lighter taste. 

Whole wheat is very nutritious!  It has over 20 vitamins and minerals, including iron, magnesium, and many b vitamins.  When you use white flour, you are missing out on all those nutrients because they have been removed by processing. 


Here is my wheat grinder, filled with wheat before grinding.

Here is what the fresh flour looks like.

If you don't have the money to buy a grain mill at this time, you can buy White Hard Wheat Flour at the grocery store.  That is what I did before I purchased my own wheat because I am picky and wanted to make sure I liked the flavor.  The only thing about buying whole wheat flour is that it does expire within a couple of months (because all those nutrients will turn rancid after time).  FYI, that is why they started selling white flour-it has a longer shelf life.  When I have leftover wheat flour, I freeze it until I am ready to use it.

I use my white wheat flour for all my cooking and baking and so far have yet to be disappointed.  I've served chocolate cake twice and no one could tell it was made with whole wheat!